I never heard of this until today, but there is a drink out there called Spribiscus. Isn’t that a great name?

I think this is maybe a Southern thing. Or at least a Texas thing, because I found it listed on this menu for a café in Austin, TX. Makes sense, you need creative recipes for cool drinks in really hot weather.

Anyway, you can probably guess what Spribiscus is made out of, just from the name.

What Can Hibiscus Tea Do for Your Hair?

As you know if you’ve ever made hibiscus tea, the tea itself is a ruby-red, and it leaves stains if you happen to spill any.

It can also leave red color in your hair — if your hair is light enough, and if the hibiscus tea you use for the rinse is strong enough.

It’s not like a regular hair dye; don’t expect the kind of spectacular, long-lasting results you would get from unadulterated henna. After you wash your hair a couple of times, the hibiscus stain will go away.

But then, that’s also the charm of this rinse. You can try it out without worrying that it will actually dye your hair without any way to remove the color, the way henna does.

Herbal Conditioner

Several dark-haired people on the Long Hair Forum who have tried a hibiscus tea rinse have reported that it didn’t add color to their hair at all.

Instead, the tea gave their hair extra softness and shine, the kind you get from a really good conditioner. So it’s worth trying, just for that, I think.

The best loose leaf Hibiscus Tea, like Davidson's, is made of whole flower petals.

I love hibiscus tea, and for me, that means loose leaf tea. Loose leaf tea is all natural: just tea leaves. Or in this case, hibiscus flower petals. That way you get the pure taste of the hibiscus flower. I’m just not as big a fan of teabags, though they’re certainly useful when you’re on the move or at the office.

My favorite loose leaf hibiscus tea is Davidson’s organic hibiscus tea: gorgeous, fragrant flower petals for your tea, sold at a bulk price. And it’s organic, so you know it’s free from pesticides and other evils.

One bag will last you a long, long time. I usually do about three months with mine, but I drink a lot of hibiscus tea. Yours might last as long as six months or even more.

You wouldn’t expect a simple loose leaf tea to get that many great reviews, would you? For example:

“This is the best Hibiscus tea I tried. It contains whole hibiscus flowers, not dust and dirt like many bagged teas, and the taste is wonderful.”

“I’m not a huge fan of herbal tea, but the taste of this tea is OK, and it is a great value and easy to brew. What I really love about it, however, is that after drinking it for a couple of weeks, it has noticeably reduced my blood pressure. I try to drink two cups a day, and am hoping it will bring my numbers down even more with a little bit of time. Very happy to have found this natural remedy!”

The pure hibiscus tea is even in the top 3 of Davidson’s best selling teas, though they have more than 500 teas and tea products listed at Amazon.

I’m also a big fan of other Davidson’s teas, but I do think the hibiscus tea is best of all, because it’s also so good for you. It’s herbal, it’s full of Vitamin C, and there are studies that show that it can lower your blood pressure.

Plus, you can mix it with other teas to create your own blend. For example, I like to mix hibiscus and rooibos tea, hibiscus and rosehip tea, or hibiscus and cranberry tea together whenever I feel like a different flavor. This way, I make my own natural organic tea blends, without having to buy a gazillion flavored teas. And they taste better, too.

Study Shows: Hibiscus Tea Lowers Blood Pressure

Just 3 cups of hibiscus tea a day could reduce blood pressure, a study has shown.

Sixty-five people aged between 30 and 70 with "at risk" blood pressure levels were split into two groups. The first group drank hibiscus tea three times a day. The second group drank hibiscus-flavored water.

After six weeks, the hibiscus group showed an average fall of 7.2 % in blood pressure. Some even recorded a 13.2 % drop. The placebo group recorded a 1.3 % drop.

All-natural hibiscus tea contains antioxidants, which have been linked to many health benefits, including protection against heart disease and cancer.

Nutrition scientist Diane McKay, PhD, of Tufts University in Boston, presented the study to the American Heart Association's annual conference.